Good Morning, Baby
by The Smiling Angel
Summary: AU, Modern. Petra Ral has many wishes she wants to fulfill before her last year of high school ends: heart-pounding bouts of rebellion, heart-wrenching catharsis of pent-up emotions, and a heart-throbbing romance she will remember forever. LeviXPetra
1. Love Can Be Sudden

**Good Morning, Baby**

**A/N: Hi! Thanks for reading my story! My LeviXPetra feels wouldn't leave me alone (*sobs at the ending of Episode 21*) so I had to write this. The title comes from a song called (you guessed it) "Good Morning Baby" by Korean girl group, APink. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Love Can Be Sudden**

Her first and only boyfriend's name was Wesley. He was the boy who sat next to her in their low-seated tables at kindergarten with the colorful building blocks in the corner and the walls decorated with stray crayon marks and Spider Man stickers. Wesley was unusually quiet among the mass of crying, screaming, and tantrum-throwing classmates, and Petra admired his maturity, usually through the corner of her eye as she twirled the strands of her blonde pigtails shyly. He would always share his animal crackers with her and opened that darn carton of milk for her because she would mess it up. During recess, Wesley would be on her team, and they were the indomitable pair that skillfully tagged the other kids out in five minutes flat. During art class, Wesley would give her the best paint and complimented her artwork, no matter how terrible.

It was no wonder then when Wesley kissed her cheek while they were waiting outside the school building for the bus to take them home. Petra remembered how red his cute freckled face became, how she blushed also, and how she held his small hand in hers all the way home afterwards. Nothing changed in their relationship, though. Her mom did think the whole thing was adorable while her dad thought the world was ending since evil began in kindergarten. Petra, as much as she liked Wesley, didn't really understand what love was exactly. Was it kindness? Was it the way Wesley always shared everything with her? Was it the way he smiled at her, laughed at her jokes, and played whatever game she wanted?

Petra didn't know. Wesley's selfless kindness was just that—selfless kindness. Was that really love? Apparently, Wesley didn't think so because they drifted back to being friends in less than a week. Even if she held the same feelings and thoughts like he did, it still hurt. She, in her five-year-old mind, sincerely thought they were in love, even if she didn't know what it felt like to be in love. Love could be kindness. That was safe and preferable.

Petra moved away the summer before first grade began. She stood outside the family minivan, watching the movers lift boxes and boxes of their belongings into a large truck. A farewell party with her kindergarten friends and neighbors was held the day before, and Petra didn't really expect anyone to see her leave. As she made her way to the side door, something caught her eye and she turned around. Wesley, who lived down the street near the swimming pool, stood in the street next to the bus stop sign they stood at together every morning. Not knowing what else to do, Petra waved her hand in the universal sign of greeting and farewell. He waved back, and that was that.

Since then, Petra had crushes but never a boyfriend. They came and went through the course of cootie-filled elementary school, the awkward phase of middle school, and the dramatic years of high school. Sometimes she showed interest, sometimes they liked her, but Petra never really found the "one." How could she when she didn't even know who exactly she was searching for? Was it someone like Wesley? Was it someone the complete opposite?

The pressure to be the girl with the boyfriend bothered and stressed Petra more than the SAT, and high school showed no mercy. Everywhere she looked, girls and boys were together, lovey-dovey in their own little worlds. Petra could only look down at her empty hands, wonder where her man was, and wish she could meet him before high school ended. It was silly—trying to find her soul mate as a teenager in a small town when the outside world was a much larger place—but she wanted to know what it felt like to be in love before becoming an adult.

Countless hours were spent on surfing the Web to learn how to be more attractive to men and how to find the perfect makeup and hairstyle for her face. The mirror became her best friend and the scale her enemy. Still, the "one" never appeared, and Petra's hope of finding him in high school disappeared with each passing day. Her friends reassured her that there was nothing wrong with her appearance and personality at all while her mom told her the world outside of high school was full of more possibilities, but their words felt empty to Petra, who tried her best to push aside these feelings of doubt and insecurity.

Her focus should have been on finishing senior year and getting into college, but the boyfriend problem kept distracting Petra. In fact, she was now sitting in her white chair, knees brought up to her chest and fingers picking away at stray split ends. The Calculus homework due the next day remained relatively untouched, except for the first problem, for the past hour. Petra sighed and looked up at her ceiling painted in a shade of light green. She should really get started on that homework. . .

A small, incessant vibration from her desk made Petra drop her strand of hair and pick up her smart phone. She sat up in her seat when she saw a new text message from her best friend, Auruo Bossard:

_Yo. Party at Erd's house at 9. You coming?_

Petra furrowed her brows and glanced at the clock hanging on the well near her closet. It was already 7:47, and she was nowhere finished with her homework. Worse, it was a school night. With a small scowl, Petra quickly texted Auruo back:

_Who parties at 9 during a school night? Party by yourselves._

Auruo seemed to disagree: _Such a prick, Petra. Have some fun. Be a rebel. Your parents are out of town, too._

Her parents _were_ out of town to visit a family friend up in New York, but still. . .

_Erd's inviting his friends. MALE friends._

That perked Petra's interest, but she wouldn't admit that, not even to Auruo: _Why are you telling me that? I sound like a slut._

_Only you would think I'm calling you a slut when I'm not. Are you coming or not, woman?_

Petra pursed her light pink lips before answering: _Shut up. I'm coming. Happy?_

She sent the text before she could stop herself and sighed. Sometimes she was too weak against peer pressure, whether it'd be from the girls at school or her own friends. Petra would've kicked herself if it didn't hurt so much and slouched in her seat. It was going to be a long night. . .

* * *

"WHAT?!" Petra half-asked, half-shouted to a guy with dreads. He stumbled, a glass of beer in his meaty hand, and leaned against the now empty refrigerator. The guy hiccupped, adjusted his stained button down shirt, and gave her a greasy smile.

"I said you're pretty hot," he replied. Or, at least, Petra thought he said that. The music Erd blasted throughout his house made hearing difficult, and Petra felt her ear drums steadily grow numb. She felt she was losing her sense of sight, too, the more she looked at this guy, who was supposedly a member of the gym Erd worked out at.

"Uh, no thanks," said Petra, scooting away from him. She dodged her way through the crowd of sweaty bodies with the intent of finding and throttling either Auruo or Erd—Auruo for inviting her and Erd for inviting his sleazy friend. Petra glowered at a suspicious looking specimen on the floor before discovering a small breathing place that didn't smell like sweat, beer, and cigarette smoke. It was the corner of the living room with an armchair that Günter liked to sit in, though Petra didn't know why. The left handle was ripped, and the right one had a stain from when Auruo threw up over it after eating too much pizza and soda when they were in 8th grade. Still, if Günter liked the armchair, Petra shouldn't say anything about it. It was especially a haven now, and she sat down on it. Her black miniskirt prevented her from curling up into a ball so Petra resorted to sitting with her knees close together and her hands folded in her lap. Times like these made Petra grateful for her petite size because she went relatively unnoticed by the dancing crowd (and the greasy gym member).

Petra scanned through the people and briefly thought she didn't know Erd had this many friends before returning to her original agenda. Erd disappeared after greeting her at the door, and she guessed he left to make out with his long-time girlfriend, Anneliese, in his room or another private place. She didn't even see Auruo, who didn't bother texting or calling her. He was probably tossing out his terrible pick-up lines to girls he thought were pretty. Of all her friends, Günter was the kindest, hanging out with her and eating together before leaving to make sure the more rowdy people didn't (completely) vandalize Erd's house.

She tried to suppress thoughts of jealousy, but the realization that she was a stranger at her best friend's party made her feel lost. This was like a second home to her—baking cookies with Erd's mom who considered her the daughter she never had, playing video games after finishing homework, eating dinner out on the patio during the summer, and racing around the floor with roller skates (Erd's dad didn't really appreciate that). Seeing unknown people crawl around the house made Petra want to toss them all out and spend the night partying with just her best friends and Anneliese, even though she knew how petty she was being.

_I think I'm PMSing_, thought Petra sullenly. _If college parties are like this or worse, I don't think I'll be leaving my dorm any time soon_. Once upon a time, she could imagine herself at parties like this, dancing to the music and flirting with boys, but when it actually came down to it, Petra was nervous. Not to mention Erd's male friends weren't all that great.

Petra took out her phone from the pocket of her grey jacket and checked the time. It was 10, which meant Petra wasted an hour of her life (not including her time with Günter, of course). Figuring she could spend her night in a more productive manner, Petra stood up from the old armchair and wiggled her way through the crowd again. Her effort to find Erd and tell him she was leaving early would either end with her not finding him or her embarrassing him while he was sharing an intimate moment with Anneliese so she decided to simply text him. She sent an extra text to Günter, who would worry about her, and even Auruo, who wouldn't worry. It was a habit Petra didn't have any intention of fixing.

The front door came in sight, and Petra was more than ready to feel the autumn air on her skin. Bidding good riddance to Erd's friends, she reached out to twist the doorknob open when the doorbell rang. Petra wondered why anyone would ring the doorbell, but she opened the door anyways.

A man, probably in his early or mid-twenties, stood on the steps. He was about an inch or two taller than she was, which meant he was very short, but the aloof expression on his face spelled out "I don't give a shit." The man wore a shirt with thick grey and dark grey stripes, a black military jacket, dark grey jeans, and combat boots. A simple metal dog tag hung down from his neck.

What captured Petra's attention, however, were his eyes. As sharp and as unfriendly they appeared, so much seemed to be hidden behind them. His eyes were mysterious, filled with secrets Petra felt an urge to find out, though she didn't know his name to begin with. It was even funny for her to think that his eyes seemed strangely familiar, as if she had stared into them before when the world was younger and the time different.

"Fucking rude."

Petra blinked her eyes. "W-what?"

"Move the hell out of the way," said the man, his eyes narrowing. The mysterious quality shattered, and Petra felt her face grow red from embarrassment.

She darted her eyes away from him and squeezed her way past him, deciding that running away would save whatever small amount of dignity she had left. "S-sorry." Petra brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced back at the man, who didn't spare her a look and walked into the house. She heard him mutter "damn party" before slamming the door shut.

Petra stared at the closed door for another minute before huffing and stomping away down the street to her house. _Fucking rude? Move the hell out of the way?_ How dare he talk to her like that? She may have been rude staring at him, but it was also rude of him to talk to her like that! And it wasn't like she was staring at him because he was weird-looking or something.

He was just. . . Magnetizing, and Petra couldn't take her eyes off him. It was a strange feeling, thinking that she may have seen him before and wanting to know him better, but his personality was a complete turn-off. For someone who looked so gentlemanly, the man acted like an asshole.

Pulling the house key out of her pocket, Petra unlocked the door and stepped inside her darkened house. Her night spoiled further, she slammed the door closed in the same manner as that mysterious, infuriating man.


	2. Love Can Be Tense

**Good Morning, Baby**

**A/N: Hi! Thanks for reading my story! Thank you for the favorites and follows, and thank you, ****in cages****, ****merveilles****, and ****QuoVeridis****, for the reviews. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: Love Can Be Tense**

Petra dragged her feet down the carpeted stairs of her house and slowly made her way to the kitchen. The overly-bright-and-currently-annoying sunlight streamed through the large windows and shed light on the empty dining room. Normally, she could see her mom's back as she cooked pancakes by the stove or pressed oranges into fresh juice and hear her dad muttering to himself at the table with a newspaper in his hands and an untouched mug of coffee beside him. Petra ran a hand through her slightly damp hair and sighed, wishing her parents would just come home now. Her friends and peers would kill to have a chance like this—one whole week without parental supervision—and Petra would be lying if she said she never wanted anything like this, but her parents' absence made this moderately-sized house feel like a castle. And she was the only occupant.

Her parents' absence also meant that Petra was in charge of groceries for the whole week, and while her mom did leave a large container of pre-made spaghetti for her to eat, it disappeared when Auruo, Erd, and Günter invited themselves over for dinner. Those pigs. Feeling the mood for a good bowl of Lucky Charms (not that much cereal, lots of milk), Petra skipped her way to the pantry, retrieved the container of cereal, and placed it on the counter when the doorbell suddenly rang. Already knowing who it was, she crossed her arms over her chest and contemplated answering the door. Withholding breakfast from him would be a good revenge, but not sharing food was a bit harsh.

With a sigh, Petra stomped to the front door and swung it open. Auruo, whose scrunched-up face looked even more scrunched-up with an early morning sneer on his face, gave her a casual wave before trying to step past her. Not having any of that, Petra closed the door on him, knowing Auruo would stop her with a quick jab of his foot.

"Not so fast," growled Petra.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Auruo with a raise of his eyebrow.

Petra raised her hand. "If you want to eat breakfast here, you have to pay up."

Auruo sighed and gave her a pointed look. "If I wanted to pay for food, I would eat an actual nice meal at the diner down the street and not here."

"I'm using my money to pay for groceries this week," retorted Petra. "I can't afford to feed both of us on my paltry pay."

With a snort, Auruo pushed the door open with one hand and nudged her out of the way. She cursed his lazy appearance, which perfectly hid his physical strength, and chased after him as he made himself comfortable in her house. Auruo plucked a grapefruit out of the fruit bowl on the dining table and tossed it in his hand. "Why would I pay for those shitty scraps you give me to eat? Man, I can't wait until your mom comes back home. She feeds me properly."

"Grapefruits are not scraps," Petra pointed out. Auruo shrugged his shoulders as she grudgingly took out two bowls from the cabinet and handed him one.

"They are, compared to the food your mom makes," retorted Auruo. Petra had to agree with that, and she poured a small serving of Lucky Charms into her bowl before handing the box to Auruo. He did the same without hesitation (lots of cereal, lots of milk), and Petra grabbed the milk from the refrigerator. Filling their bowls with milk, the two friends made their way to the dining table with Auruo grabbing spoons for both of them.

"I'm assuming Erd's place is a mess?" asked Petra, looking up at him from her cereal bowl.

"Don't even get me started on that shit," replied Auruo, rolling his eyes in distaste. "He invites all those crackheads to his house and then expects me to save his ass before his parents come home. Only Günter and Anneliese were nice enough to stay 'till 3 and get the place to at least resemble a livable house and not some shack next to a dump. Erd probably slept in booze and condoms."

Petra wrinkled her nose and kicked Auruo's shin underneath the dining table. "I do not need those details." Auruo yelped and used his free hand to rub his hurt leg, shooting daggers at her with his narrowed eyes. "Where were Erd's parents? They didn't come home until after 3?"

"Of course, they can't come home," replied Auruo. "They're halfway around the world. Didn't you know? Some business meeting for his dad's cars or whatever. Erd has to go to the airport later and pick them up. That lucky asshole gets to miss class."

"So it was a last minute party before his parents came home."

"You're going to need one, too," piped Auruo with a sly grin.

Petra scoffed. "Unlike some people, I don't want my house to smell like alcohol and sex right before my parents come home, thank you very much. I also like how clean and organized everything is."

"You missed the best part, though," said Auruo. "An asshole with dreads wrecked the new TV."

Petra dropped her spoon in surprise and only the sound of it clattering against her bowl was heard in the house. "The 65-inch one?"

Auruo nodded. "Ultra HD."

"3D Blue-ray player?"

"Smart Touch."

"The $5,000 one?"

"Petra, why do you keep asking? We're obviously talking about the same one."

"Dang it," said Petra, picking up her spoon again. "I was going to do yoga with that TV later."

"And I was going to watch football, but no one cares," added Auruo.

"Did you say 'asshole with dreads'?" asked Petra.

Auruo frowned. "No, I said I was going to watch football—"

"No, I mean earlier," interrupted Petra, waving her hand. "Who wrecked the TV?"

"The asshole with dreads."

"Oh my goodness," cried Petra, dropping her spoon again. "That sleaze ball was hitting on me, too! It didn't work so I guess he started hitting on the TV. That didn't turn out well."

"So a guy was hitting on you, and you somehow didn't end up in his bed?" wondered Auruo with a raise of his eyebrow. "That's a new one for you."

"Shut up," retorted Petra with a slight blush. She kicked Auruo's shin in the same spot for good measure.

"Damn it, Petra!" shouted Auruo, clutching his leg again. "I'm going to lose my freaking leg because of you!"

Petra stuck out her tongue and stood up from her chair, making her way to the sink with her cereal bowl in hand. "Hurry up and eat or we're going to be late. If Erd's not going to school, we're going to have to walk." Petra looked at her reflection in the window above the counter and fluffed her light ginger hair. "My hair is not going to be happy."

"My feet aren't going to be happy, but I'm not complaining," said Auruo, placing his bowl in the sink, too.

Petra slapped his arm and pointed at the faucet. "Fill up your bowl with water or it'll be hard to clean later." Auruo muttered something about "women" and "picky", but did as he was told. Petra hid a small smile and walked to the base of the staircase to pick up her backpack. "Just be thankful I'm not making you clean up after yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," grumbled Auruo, rubbing his face with both of his hands. "Oh, shit. I left my backpack in my room."

"You better hurry up," said Petra, grabbing the house keys. She jangled them in front of Auruo. "I'm leaving now." Auruo sighed and dragged his feet across the polished floor, and Petra moved him along with a shove to his back. The two stepped outside the house, and Petra locked the door behind her before walking down the driveway.

"If you leave without me . . .," warned Auruo as he made a backtrack to his house behind Petra's.

Petra smirked and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "It's a pretty long walk to school." Auruo scowled with that scrunched-up face of his and wagged his finger in a final warning before dashing towards his own house. Petra shook her head, wondering how their love-hate friendship survived since first grade, and kicked her feet against the concrete. The sound of approaching feet made her look up, and a bright smile spread across her face.

"Good morning," Petra said to Günter. Her normally serious friend spared her a small smile before standing across from her with one hand holding onto his backpack.

"Morning," he replied.

"Heard you stayed 'till 3 at Erd's place cleaning up," said Petra. A small giggle escaped from her mouth when Günter sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"It was a complete mess, and he was a mess, too. I don't know why he would have a party like that. He's just lucky he gets to skip Calc in the morning. Did you know his parents are coming back home?"

Petra nodded her head. "Yup. Auruo told me. And the poor TV. . ."

"Erd laughed it off to keep the atmosphere fun so I got pissed for him," said Günter with another world-weary sigh. Petra looked at him sympathetically, knowing everything he went through last night (or early in the morning) would make him lose faith in humanity. "He tried his luck, though, with an acquaintance of his dad's, who actually went and bought the same exact TV for him."

"Really?" asked Petra, clearly surprised. Auruo failed to mention that part (naturally). "I didn't know someone could buy a TV that late at night."

Günter shrugged, though his eyes obviously expressed admiration for this 'acquaintance.' "He said he got it from a 24/7 electronics store."

"What a nice guy," said Petra. "He saved Erd from his dad's wrath."

"He has to pay the guy back, though," added Günter. "$5,000 is nothing to sneeze at, and he can't even ask his parents for the money."

"He could ask that sleaze ball with dreads to pay for the TV," offered Petra. "He wrecked it in the first place."

Günter sighed (3 times in the morning, a new record). "You know how Erd is."

Petra joined in his sighing-fest. "All too well."

"Now he has to figure out how to make 5 grand fast, in case his dad's acquaintance gets impatient and rats him out."

"And the moral of the story is not to host parties at your home just because your parents are away," said Petra. The approaching footsteps and grumbling from behind made her grin as she glanced at Auruo. "Did you hear me?"

"What?" he asked in irritation. Auruo nodded at Günter, which boys her age thought was cool and did constantly, though Petra didn't understand why they couldn't just voice their greeting like normal people.

"I said that with everything that transpired last night, it should be a good lesson for everyone not to have parties just because the parents are gone," replied Petra, hooking her arms around Auruo and Günter's. With two of her three best friends on either side of her, Petra dragged them down the sidewalk as they began the trek to school.

Auruo looked down at Petra with a scowl on his scrunched-up face. "Why do you keep whining over spilled water—"

"Milk," corrected Günter.

"Spilled milk, Petra?" asked Auruo. "I get enough nagging at home as it is. Just don't have the damn party if you don't want it."

"You were going to have a party?" asked Günter.

"It was Auruo's idea, not mine," replied Petra.

Günter nodded, seemingly relieved. "I thought so."

"You always make it sound like I want you to become a troublemaker or something," growled Auruo.

Petra pursed her lips and nodded. "That's about right."

"Shut up."

"The Calc homework, guys, the Calc homework," interjected Günter, ever the pacifier. "How'd you do?"

Auruo scrunched his nose. "We had homework?"

"I did like four problems and left the rest up to fate," sighed Petra. Math was a language she would never understand.

"Same here, but I did five problems," added Günter with a teasing smile that warranted a jab in the side from Petra's elbow.

Auruo unlocked his arm from Petra's grasp and wrapped both of his arms behind his head. "I'm giving up on school this year. I don't have time for this bullshit."

"Senioritis," agreed Petra with a firm nod of her head.

"I think we've all been affected since freshman year," said Günter.

"Kindergarten for me," retorted Auruo, but Petra and Günter ignored him.

"Maybe we should call it quits for today," suggested Petra. "I'm scared of going to math class. Mr. Shadis will have our heads for not finishing the homework."

"I thought I would never hear Petra say something like that," whistled Auruo.

Petra glared at him, but remained quiet as he and Günter discussed what they would do if they did decide to skip classes (not that she would ever let them). The idea of skipping school was a taboo for her—something she wouldn't mind doing if it didn't mean her mother throwing her out of the house and her father disowning her. But what was the point of attending classes when they just needed to ride out a few more months before graduation hit in June and they were free from long hours of sitting in classrooms and snoring away while the teacher lectured? Petra found herself falling asleep in her classes more often even though that was something that never happened to her before. The excellent notes she always had for history class? Scribbles of crossed out words and crooked sentences that didn't resemble English in the slightest. She had a very bad, perhaps terminal, case of Senioritis.

A wave of premonition hit Petra as she snapped out of her thoughts and looked around her surroundings. Somewhere between Auruo's rambling, Günter's snorting, and her daydreaming, they had arrived at school a good 10 minutes before the bell rang. The smell of deodorant, perfume, and acne wash was in the crisp morning air, and a group of students sat around the copper statue of Maria R. Sina, the namesake of Petra's high school. Her eyes remained focused on the figurine, and the thought that Maria resembled the Statue of Liberty crossed over her mind before she saw someone she wished she didn't.

Cold blue eyes bore into her forehead, and Petra gulped as she turned her head away, the copper strands of her dyed hair flying around her face. Horrible memories of jeering laughter, the dark water of the local swimming pool, and screaming over the phone flashed before her eyes.

"Let's go this way, Petra," said Günter suddenly. His arm still locked around hers, he led her down another path away from those blue eyes that wouldn't leave her alone.

"Isn't it about time she forgot about all that shit?" asked Auruo a little too loudly. Petra winced as the blue eyes became colder. She heard.

"Auruo," growled Günter. "Not here."

Petra lowered her head, allowed Günter to lead her away, and walked in front of Auruo to hide from those blue eyes. She could just see the eyes blink once, the disinterest belying the hatred underneath, the anger seeping through her being, the scars of betrayal that will never heal.

_"Petra. You've won your bet. But . . . This is where my bet begins!"_

**A/N: No Levi this chapter, but he'll return soon! The mysterious person who seems to bear a grudge against Petra will also be revealed soon, but the last line is from the anime (hint, hint). If you can figure out who spoke that line, then you have discovered who this old friend/enemy/rival/frenemy of Petra's is!**


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